All-sports bag



T. R. DAWSON ALL-SPORTS BAG Dec. 20, 1966 Filed Feb. 23, 1965 FIG. 2

THEODORE R. DAWSON INVENTOR.

FIG. I

United States Patent 3,292,747 ALL-SPORTS BAG Theodore R. Dawson, Odessa, Tex., assignor to Tote & Co., a co-partncrship of Texas Filed Feb. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 434,471 7 Claims. (Cl. 190-43) This invention relates to luggage and more particularly for a bag adapted to carry the uniform, equipment, or other paraphernalia for any of the various sports in which a person might participate.

Educational institutions such as universities and high schools have teams which participate in various sports at difierent times of the year. During the autumn the principal team activity is football. During winter it is basketball; spring, track; and summer baseball. In practice today often the institution provides each player of each sport with a bag in which to keep his equipment, uniform, etc. E.g. a large bag is provided for the members of the football team and a smaller bag for the members of the basketball or baseball team. This results in the institution providing numerous bags which are stored during the off seasons.

I have invented a bag which is constructed of two compartments one of which may be folded within the other so that the volume may be reduced in half. Therefore the bag in its full size is well adapted for carrying football equipment. At the end of the football season the bag may be folded or enveloped so that it is half the original volume and well adapted for use in carrying basketball or baseball equipment. Therefore the same bag may be used for all sports, materially reducing the inventory of bags the institution maintains for the various athletic programs.

In addition to this the bag has general utility in the field of sport. It is well adapted for hunters, campers, boaters and outdoor sports in general. It is well adapted for a sail bag inasmuch as certain lesser used equipment can be placed in one compartment whereas sails and more commonly used equipment can be placed in the other.

An object of this invention is to provide a bag of general utility for sportsmen.

Another object is to provide a bag which is self enveloping so that it has different sizes for different uses.

Another object is to provide a bag adapted for use by institutions for keeping the equipment of individual players in organized sports activities.

A further object is to provide a bag which may be folded fiat for storage.

Still further objects are to achieve the above with a bag that is sturdy, compact, durable, and versatile, yet inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects, uses, and advantages thereof will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawing, the diiferent views of which are not to the exact same scale, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bag according to this invention in the expanded condition, partially broken away to show internal construction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same bag in the enveloped or contracted condition, broken away in parts to illustrate construction.

The bag is constructed of a pliable sheet material such as canvas. I prefer canvas for the construction of this bag because of its price, pliancy, durability, ease in fabricating, elasticity, porosity, availability in various colors, etc. Although for overall reasons I prefer to construct the bag of canvas it will be obvious that where the price is not such an important consideration that the bag could be constructed of other pliable sheet material such as synthetic plastic materials or even leather. In general ice it is necessary that the upper portion of the bag be made flexible or supple or pliable. However, the lower compartment could be made of rigid material. It will be understood that certain wire stiffeners or other stiifening material could be provided at the seams to give the bag more shape when there is nothing in it. However, in general I prefer not to use stiffeners inasmuch as the bag may be folded quite flat when not in use for easy storage. Therefore it will be understood that although the bag 1s shown in the drawings with a certain shape, because of rts construction the bag would not stand up when it is empty.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, it will be seen that the bag is constructed with a rectangular bottom 10. Rectangular sides 12 are attached to the bottom 10. The sides 12 are divided at approximately their middle into sides 14 of the lower compartment and sides 16 of the upper compartment. Rectangular ends 18 are attached to the bottom 10 and to the sides 12. The ends also are divided into the ends 20 of the lower compartment and ends 22 of the upper compartment. Rectangular top 24 is attached to the upper portion of the sides 12 and ends 18. (It will be understood that each of the sides 12, including the lower compartment side 14 and the upper compartment side 16, is a single piece of canvas in construction. Likewise that the two ends 18 and the top 24 combined also maybe constructed of a single piece of canvas and that they have been described as being divided into upper compartment ends 22 and lower compartment ends 20 for better understanding of the invention.)

The top 24 has opening 26 therein which is closed by a closure in the form of zipper 28. The opening extends lengthwise of the top, i.e. from end to end. The opening 26 extends more than halfway down each of the upper compartment ends 22. Handle 30 in the form of a web belt is sewn to the top 24 on each side of the opening 26.

Rectangular partition 32 is sewn to the sides 12 and ends 18 approximately halfway between the bottom 10 and the top 24 parallel to each. The partition 32 divides the bag into a lower compartment bounded by the sides 14 and the ends 20 and an upper compartment bounded by the sides 16 and ends 22. The partition 32 forms the top of the lower compartment and the bottom of the upper compartment. The partition 32 has an opening 34 extending from one end 20 to the other. The opening also is closed by a closure in the form of zipper 36. A handle 38 is attached to the partition 32 on the upper side thereof on each side of the opening 34.

Referring specifically to FIG. 1, with the bag expanded the lower compartment may be packed and is accessible if the upper zipper 28 and the lower zipper 36 are open. Thereafter the upper compartment may be packed if the zipper 28 is open. Whether or not the zipper 36 is closed is the option of the user.

If the user has equipment to fill only one compartment it may be seen that with the zipper 28 open that the upper compartment sides 16 and upper compartment ends 22 may be folded down so that then the partition 32 is the top of the bag. This condition of the bag is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this condition of the bag the upper compartment has been turned inside out and folded down over the lower compartment thus enveloping it. In this condition the top 24 will be at the bottom of the compacted bag and will be below the bottom 10 as shown in the broken away representation of FIG. 2.

If it were desired certain items (e.g. soiled laundry) could be placed between the bottom 10 and the top 24. In other words the zipper 24 could be opened sufiiciently 3 for the items to be slipped between the layers of sheet like material and then the zipper 28 closed.

Another way of expressing the condition of the bag as seen in FIG. 2 is that the lower compartment is encompassed within the upper compartment.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various edging materials, binding materials, reinforcements, etc. may be added to the corners and along the seams for appearance and strength of construction. However, inasmuch as these techniques are all known to those skilled in the art they have not been illustrated or described in detail in this specification.

Thus it may be seen that I have provided a suitable bag adaptable for any of several sports.

It will be apparent that the embodiment shown is only exemplary and that various modifications can be made in construction, materials, and arrangement within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A bag comprising:

(a) a lower compartment having (i) a bottom, (ii) two sides and (iii) two ends attached to the bottom, and (iv) a top attached to the two sides and two ends, (v) the top having an opening therein; (vi) a closure in the top for the opening; and (b) an upper compartment constructed (c) of pliable sheet material having (i) two sides of the approximate dimensions of the lower compartment sides, and (ii) two ends of the approximate dimensions of the lower compartment ends attached to the lower compartment, and (iii) a top of the approximate dimensions of the lower compartment bottom, (iv) the top having an opening therein (v) a closure in the top for the opening; so arranged and constructed that the upper compartment may be folded over the lower compartment which will then be within the upper compartment.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein (d) both of said closures are in the form of zippers.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 with the addi-:

tion of:

(d) handles on the top of the lower compartment, and

(e) handles on the top of the upper compartment.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein (f) both of said closures are int he form of zippers.

5. A bag comprising:

(a) a lower compartment, and

(b) an upper compartment,

(c) the top of the lower compartment forming the bottom of the upper compartment,

(d) an opening in the top of the lower compartment (e) the two compartments of similar shape and approximately the same size,

(f) an opening in the top of the upper compartment,

and

(g) the upper compartment constructed of pliable sheet material;

so that the upper compartment may be folded over the lower compartment, thus encompassing the lower within the upper.

6. A bag comprising:

(a) a bottom (b) two sides attached to the bottom (c) two ends attached to the bottom and sides,

(d) a top attached to the sides and ends,

(e) an opening in the top, and

(f) a partition attached to the sides and ends about halfway between the top and bottom thus dividing the bag into two compartment of approximate equal size,

(g) the partition having an opening therein,

(h) the bag constructed of pliable sheet material so that a portion may be folded over the remainder thus reducing the volume of the bag by about half.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein (j) each of the openings has a zipper closure thereon,

(k) the top has handles attached thereto, and (m) the partition has handles attached thereto.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BAG COMPRISING: (A) A LOWER COMPARTMENT HAVING (1) A BOTTOM, (11) TWO SIDES AND (111) TWO ENDS ATTACHED TO THE BOTTOM, AND (1V) A TOP ATTACHED TO THE TWO SIDES AND TWO ENDS, (V) THE TOP HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN; (V1) A CLOSURE IN THE TOP FOR THE OPENING; AND (B) AN UPPER COMPARTMENT CONSTRUCTED (C) OF PLIABLE SHEET MATERIAL HAVING (1) TWO SIDES OF THE APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS OF THE LOWER COMPARTMENT SIDES, AND (11) TWO ENDS OF THE APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS OF THE LOWER COMPARTMENT ENDS ATTACHED TO THE LOWER COMPARTMENT, AND (111) A TOP OF THE APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS OF THE LOWER COMPARTMENT BOTTOM, (1V) THE TOP HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN (V) A CLOSURE IN THE TOP FOR THE OPENING; SO ARRANGED AND CONSTRUCTED THAT THE UPPER COMPARTMENT MAY BE FOLDED OVER THE LOWER COMPARTMENT WHICH WILL THEN BE WITHIN THE UPPER COMPARTMENT. 